LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Red-hot shooting from Kobe Sanders, clutch plays from Reggie Gibson and a business-as-usual massive double-double by Laolu Oke were just part of the story Tuesday night as MSU Denver picked up another key road victory, 76-74 at Colorado Christian.
 
Down nine points, 31-22, with 5:43 left in the first half, the Roadrunners caught fire – and Sanders specifically was scorching.
 
The freshman hit four straight 3-pointers in the final 3:14, finishing off a 5-for-5 first-half effort from long distance, as MSU Denver surged to a 46-43 halftime lead.
 
The advantage grew to 61-53 with 11:41 to go, but strong-shooting Colorado Christian, much better than its 1-10 record indicates, wouldn't go away.
 
The Cougars, who hit 15 of 36 from 3-point range, used a 15-4 run to take a 68-65 lead and led 70-67 with 7:04 to go, but scored only one point the rest of the way before hitting an inconsequential 3 at the buzzer.
 
Oke's putback with 2:17 left put the Roadrunners ahead to stay at 72-70, then Gibson made 3 of 4 free throws over the next 1:43 as the lead grew to 75-71 with 17 seconds to go. Oke added a free throw with five seconds left.
 
In its last 11 possessions before scoring at the buzzer, Colorado Christian was 0 for 8 from the field, hit 1 of 2 free throws and had two turnovers.
 
"It was just a gut-check performance by our kids," MSU Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "Adversity comes in many different forms, and our kids are learning how to handle it better. This is why basketball is the best game, because it teaches you so much about life. I'm always happy we won, but to see our guys fight and compete like they did is what it's all about."
 
Oke continues to amaze as he takes aim at a potential NCAA Division II rebounding title.
 
He scored a career-high 20 points (on 8 of 10 shooting) while grabbing 13 rebounds, raising his averages for the season to 10.6 points and a stunning 12.1 rebounds with his third straight double-double and his sixth of the season.
 
Sanders hit his first second-half 3 to stand 6-for-6 from distance (which is the program record for made 3s in a perfect shooting night), but had to settle for an 18-point night after missing his final to 3s to go 6 for 8 beyond the arc.
 
And the 5-foot-10 Gibson has suddenly become an irresistible force off the bench, getting 16 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
 
It didn't stop there, though, as the Roadrunners had five score in double figures: Maris Colton had 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Tyrei Randall scored 10 to go with five boards.
 
With its second straight road win, MSU Denver improved to 6-6 overall while moving into sole possession of third place (by percentage) in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at 6-5.
 
However, due to the non-uniform nature of scheduling as a result of coronavirus-related postponements, the RMAC is using a point formula system this season to determine qualifiers and seeding for the RMAC Tournament. Unofficially, the Roadrunners appear to be closer to the bubble – as of now – for the eight-team field.
 
That makes every game huge – and the point system favors road victories – which makes Thursday's 6 p.m. game at South Dakota Mines yet another big one.

"We will enjoy this one, but we have a quick turnaround as we play again on the road Thursday against a very good South Dakota Mines team," Bahl said.